Boot or shoe



' (No Model.)

J. M. THOMPSON.

BOOT OR SHOE.

No. 512,412. Pajcented Jan. 9, 1894 MTHEEEEE Fl f IHJEHTEIIK wW/ialewfi. QWL

- U ITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. THOMPSON, OF STONEHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

BooT OR SHOE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 512,412, dated January 9, 1894..

Application filed August 26, 1893- Serial No. 484,105. (No model.)

To an whom, 'it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES M. THOMPSON, of Stoneham, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Boots or Shoes, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates especially to the. upper of a boot or shoe, my object being to produce a perfectly fitting upper made in one piece only, and at the same time ,to entirely avoid a rear seam. To this end, while the upper is cut out in a single piece, it is so shaped and slitted that when the edges are properly joined together the only seam therein is on one side of the shoe,preferably the inside,cri1nping the upper in such a mannor that the back of the shoe assumes the proper shape without the usual seam along thesame. The ability to make the'upper in one piece only is a matter of great economy in the manufacture of a shoe, avoiding as it does the cutting out and matching together of two or more separate parts.

Referring to the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows the shape in which the upper is cut from the leather, and Fig. 2 shows in side elevation a shoe embodying my invention.

A A A is the one piece upper cut out in the shape shown. 'lhe'curved portion a b a is that part of the upper which is in contact with the sole B of the shoe when completed. The pattern is provided with the curved slits 1, 2 and 3, of which 1 and 2 are continuous and follow the contour of a portion of the top and front of the shoe upper. The curved portion c 0' forms the top of the shoe.

The upper part, A, of the pattern, as shown in Fig. 1, is first bent down along the dotted line I) Z with the curved portion 1) a in coincidence with the curved portion b a The rear part A of the pattern is then bent around on the dotted line 01 e k which forms the back line of the shoe when completed, the point 0 being placed over the point e, the curved part f 9 formed by the crimping slit 3 being spread apart from the curved part f a to form a triangular opening, with the edges f a, f g and g h overlapping the edges f a, f g and g h respectively, in which position they are stitched. A seam is then formed altogether on one side of the shoe, no part being along the back line thereof, one side of the shoe presenting a perfectly plain appearance free from seams. Moreover, by the spreading apart of the sides of the crimping slit 3 in stitching the same along the edges of the triangular piece af g, the back of the upper is at once made to assume the necessary curved shape, conforming to that of the foot, or as it is termed crimped, thereby rendering it unnecessary for the upper to undergo any subsequent shaping by the stretching or molding of the leather over a form.

The part A of the pattern forms one side of the shoe while the parts A A form the other side, the seam a f g h following a continuous broken line from the bottom to the front of the shoe.

The shape of the pattern is such that when folded and stitched together the edges overlap only enough to give room for sewing the seams, and correspond throughout. Thus there is absolutely no waste of material in the pattern, nor is the material doubled at any point save along the seams.

I claim- A boot or shoe upper made in a single piece A A A having the continuous slits 1 2 following the contour of a portion of the top and front of the shoe, and the crimping slit 3, the part A being provided with the triangular portion a, f g adapted to engage with and spread apart said crimping slit, whereby the part A forms one side of the shoe and the parts A A when folded together and joined along the edges form the other side substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 2d day of August, A. D. 1893.

i J AMES. M. THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

ALBERT E. LEAOH, M. T. LEACH. 

